Does the color of the feeder impact how much seed is consumed? Does the color of the feeder impact the bird diversity at the feeder?
Introduction:
Birds rely primarily on their vision, and it is their most acute sense. Birds are able to see familiar colors, as well as, parts of the ultraviolet light spectrum, that humans cannot see. A reason, for why their vision might be more acute than humans is that, they have four types of cones in their eyes, opposed to the three that humans have, although, the exact number of cones varies from specie, to specie, but is typically higher than humans. Cones, are the cells in the eyes that detect color, and are located in the retina. I chose the question that I did because I wanted to know, if birds would pick a feeder with a vibrant color, over a feeder of a darker color, if the seed, in each was the same.
Hypothesis:
I thought, that the red colored feeder will be the most popular, because I know that hummingbirds are drawn to the color red, and I thought that songbirds might be the same. Birds are generally drawn to brighter colors, for example they pick a mate based on the vibrancy of their feathers. I think that the black feeder will receive the least use, because birds are not generally drawn to dark colors.
Variables:
Independent: The different colored feeders. (Black and Red) Dependent: The species, and amount of birds coming to the feeder. Constant: the type, and amount of birdseed, as well as the location of the feeders.
Materials #1:
- 3 small suet feeders - gold, black, and red spray paint - 3 blocks of suet
Procedure #1:
First, I will paint my three feeders, gold, black, and red. Then, I will fill them with a block bird seed, and then, place them each approximately two feet apart. Then, I will watch from my porch, while taking ethograms, which is a catalog of all the different kinds of behavior, or activity observed in an animal. I will collect my data, between four, and six o'clock, so I have a set time to collect my data. I will collect my data over a two week time span, and then I will weigh the remains of the seed, and make an estimate, to how much seed was consumed, at each feeder. I will also, make graphs and tables, explaining my data.
Materials #2:
- One bird feeder
- black, and red spray paint
- bird seed
- measuring cup
Procedure #2:
Since my initial procedure did not attract any birds, I altered my experiment. I used one feeder, and painted it half red, and half black. Than, I filled each side with one and a half cups of birdseed, and stuck it on my window. I watched the bird feeder every day, for at least 45 minutes, between four, and six PM. Although my data wasn't very interesting, at least I had something, that was more informative than my first procedure.
Results:
I collected the data every day, for at least 45 minutes, between four, and six PM. After a few days, I still did not see any birds. So, in an effort to attract birds, I researched what types of seed, the songbirds that I was hoping to attract, liked best. I found that many birds like sunflower seeds, so I made sure that my birds seed included sunflower seeds. After more than a week of collecting data everyday, I still didn't see any birds. I suspected that the reason that birds were not coming, was because my feeder was hanging on a window, under some under hang. I think that if I hung it on the other side of my house, it might have gotten more use. But, since I was running out of time, I tried to collect data somewhere else.
I decided to go to my neighbors house, and observe the birds in his backyard. I saw, Chickadees, Cardinals, and Wrens at the feeders, and Downy Woodpeckers at the suet feeder. Although, I was not able to collect the data I was looking for, because all of his feeders were all generally the same color. One day, when I was collecting data at my feeder, I saw a chickadee come up to the feeder, and then fly away. Then, a few days later, I noticed that the seeds, on the top layer of the feeder were cracked in half. I did some more research, to try and find out why the seeds were cracked, and also why birds were not coming to my feeder.
I found that most birds are wild foraging around now, which means that they can find enough food in the forest, and don't need to rely on feeders, as much as they might a little closer to winter. On October 27th, I took down my feeder and measured the remaining seed. I found that, the side that was painted black, had gone down one, forth of a cup, and the red side had not gone down at all. Although, if I could do this again I would try to weigh the seed, for more accuracy.
Discussion:
After I compiled my data, into a graph, I found that my hypothesis was not supported in the data I found. I thought that the red feeder would get more use, but I found that the black feeder got more use. I might want to do this project again in the Spring, just to see if wild foraging impacted my results. I think that collecting my data went well, I tried to collect my data everyday around the same time so my results would be consistant. If I could do this experiment again, I would probably pick a different project, and weigh the seed, instead of measuring it in cups.
Sources: "Birding and Wild Birds- Feeding Identification and More." About.com Home. Np., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2015
Seed Consumption, Black V.S Red Feeder
Question:
Does the color of the feeder impact how much seed is consumed?Does the color of the feeder impact the bird diversity at the feeder?
Introduction:
Birds rely primarily on their vision, and it is their most acute sense. Birds are able to see familiar colors, as well as, parts of the ultraviolet light spectrum, that humans cannot see. A reason, for why their vision might be more acute than humans is that, they have four types of cones in their eyes, opposed to the three that humans have, although, the exact number of cones varies from specie, to specie, but is typically higher than humans. Cones, are the cells in the eyes that detect color, and are located in the retina. I chose the question that I did because I wanted to know, if birds would pick a feeder with a vibrant color, over a feeder of a darker color, if the seed, in each was the same.Hypothesis:
I thought, that the red colored feeder will be the most popular, because I know that hummingbirds are drawn to the color red, and I thought that songbirds might be the same. Birds are generally drawn to brighter colors, for example they pick a mate based on the vibrancy of their feathers. I think that the black feeder will receive the least use, because birds are not generally drawn to dark colors.Variables:
Independent: The different colored feeders. (Black and Red)Dependent: The species, and amount of birds coming to the feeder.
Constant: the type, and amount of birdseed, as well as the location of the feeders.
Materials #1:
- 3 small suet feeders- gold, black, and red spray paint
- 3 blocks of suet
Procedure #1:
First, I will paint my three feeders, gold, black, and red. Then, I will fill them with a block bird seed, and then, place them each approximately two feet apart. Then, I will watch from my porch, while taking ethograms, which is a catalog of all the different kinds of behavior, or activity observed in an animal. I will collect my data, between four, and six o'clock, so I have a set time to collect my data. I will collect my data over a two week time span, and then I will weigh the remains of the seed, and make an estimate, to how much seed was consumed, at each feeder. I will also, make graphs and tables, explaining my data.Materials #2:
- One bird feeder
- black, and red spray paint
- bird seed
- measuring cupProcedure #2:
Since my initial procedure did not attract any birds, I altered my experiment. I used one feeder, and painted it half red, and half black. Than, I filled each side with one and a half cups of birdseed, and stuck it on my window. I watched the bird feeder every day, for at least 45 minutes, between four, and six PM. Although my data wasn't very interesting, at least I had something, that was more informative than my first procedure.Results:
I collected the data every day, for at least 45 minutes, between four, and six PM. After a few days, I still did not see any birds. So, in an effort to attract birds, I researched what types of seed, the songbirds that I was hoping to attract, liked best. I found that many birds like sunflower seeds, so I made sure that my birds seed included sunflower seeds. After more than a week of collecting data everyday, I still didn't see any birds. I suspected that the reason that birds were not coming, was because my feeder was hanging on a window, under some under hang. I think that if I hung it on the other side of my house, it might have gotten more use. But, since I was running out of time, I tried to collect data somewhere else.
I decided to go to my neighbors house, and observe the birds in his backyard. I saw, Chickadees, Cardinals, and Wrens at the feeders, and Downy Woodpeckers at the suet feeder. Although, I was not able to collect the data I was looking for, because all of his feeders were all generally the same color. One day, when I was collecting data at my feeder, I saw a chickadee come up to the feeder, and then fly away. Then, a few days later, I noticed that the seeds, on the top layer of the feeder were cracked in half. I did some more research, to try and find out why the seeds were cracked, and also why birds were not coming to my feeder.
I found that most birds are wild foraging around now, which means that they can find enough food in the forest, and don't need to rely on feeders, as much as they might a little closer to winter. On October 27th, I took down my feeder and measured the remaining seed. I found that, the side that was painted black, had gone down one, forth of a cup, and the red side had not gone down at all. Although, if I could do this again I would try to weigh the seed, for more accuracy.
Discussion:
After I compiled my data, into a graph, I found that my hypothesis was not supported in the data I found. I thought that the red feeder would get more use, but I found that the black feeder got more use. I might want to do this project again in the Spring, just to see if wild foraging impacted my results. I think that collecting my data went well, I tried to collect my data everyday around the same time so my results would be consistant. If I could do this experiment again, I would probably pick a different project, and weigh the seed, instead of measuring it in cups.
Sources:
"Birding and Wild Birds- Feeding Identification and More." About.com Home. Np., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2015
__http://birding.about.com/od/birdbehavior/fl/How-Birds-See-Color.htm__